Paddling a kayak in open water when there are side wind conditions will generally cause the kayak to veer into the direction of the wind. This phenomenon is commonly called weathercocking. Since paddling a kayak requires a large amount of strenuous activity on the part of the paddler, weathercocking is undesirable because it forces the paddler to expend additional energy for making course adjustments.
The degree of weathercocking depends on such various factors as wind angle, the shape and profile of the kayak's hull, kayak load distribution, the amount of hull side-slip which is governed by wind force and hull draft, and the size of the bow wave which varies with kayak cruising speed and the depth of the water in which it is being operated.
The sole effective method known for controlling kayak weathercocking is to use a rudder steering system which has a rudder mounted to the kayak's stern. Previous to the present invention, rudder steering systems have employed foot controls located in the forward portion of the kayak for adjusting the rudder. Although this is an admittedly convenient means for steering in that a kayak paddler is allowed to control the rudder with his feet, leaving both hands free for paddling, there are some inherent disadvantages associated with foot controls.
One disadvantage is that a foot controlled rudder requires movable foot pedals. Movable foot pedals, by their very nature, do not provide good foot support for the paddler which is an important consideration in regard to paddler safety. For example, in the event of a kayak capsizing during operation, it is important for the paddler to have a solid foot support in order to perform an eskimo roll, which is a manuever that puts the kayak back in an upright position. Movable foot pedals make this manuever very difficult, especially for inexperienced paddlers.
A second disadvantage to foot pedals is that they require mechanical linkage structure for joining them to the rudder. Such linkage structure is subject to a risk of failure. This is highly undesirable in that many kayaks are used for touring in remote areas where mechanical breakdowns can put the paddler in a potentially dangerous situation.
Another disadvantage to foot pedals is that a beginning paddler tends to rely on their convenience, and therefore fails to develop good paddling skills. Sometimes, even though a kayak has a rudder steering system, good paddling skills are a necessity when operating in rough sea and wind conditions, or in bad rip tide situations. Foot pedals give the beginner a false sense of security which can result in him getting into unsafe water conditions without having properly developed skills for keeping out of danger.
Having a rudder and associated foot controls is very convenient because it allows the paddler to steer the kayak while devoting all of his energy to paddling. However, as is clear from the disadvantages described above, a foot controlled rudder sacrifices safety for the sake of convenience. Because of this, kayak designers have made several attempts to solve the weathercocking problem by using special rudderless kayak designs that eliminate any need for foot controlled rudders. Such designs have included increasing the draft of the kayak, adding tracking surfaces to the hull by using concave entry/exit water lines, adding keel lines to the hull, and constructing movable seats as a means for shifting the paddlers weight and thereby adjusting kayak trim. All of these methods have been found to have obvious drawbacks. For example, increasing draft and adding tracking surfaces result in reverse curvatures in a hull's surface that create additional drag and thereby require additional paddling energy for propelling the kayak. Having concave entry/exit water lines causes a loss of bow and stern buoyancy which makes a kayak suseptible to nose diving in certain weather conditions. Distinctive keel lines lessen kayak maneuverability which can be dangerous in bad weather or where there is turbulent water conditions. Movable seats are undesirable in that they add structure to the kayak which is subject to mechanical failure, with the added structure further increasing kayak weight thereby having an effect on drag. In addition, their adjustability is limited by the size of the kayak cockpit, which by necessity is small. Therefore, movable seats are not an effective means for adjusting trim. Rudderless kayak designs have neither provided a safe nor adequate solution to the weathercocking problem.
Consequently, the main object of the present invention is to eliminate foot controlled rudder systems by providing a safe, hand controlled system. This in turn eliminates the safety and design problems described above.
Another object of the invention is to provide an uncomplicated hand controlled means for controlling a rudder that can be used by a kayak paddler with a minimum interruption in paddling motion.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hand controlled kayak steering system that is interchangeable with foot controlled steering systems. This will allow the paddler to opt for the convenience of foot controls when paddling in fair weather conditions.